2Sa 2:12-17

Now Abner the son of Ner,
went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul.

And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, one on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.

Then Abner said to Joab, “Now let the young men arise and hold a contest before us.”
And Joab said, “Let them arise.”

So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

Each one of them seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together.
Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

That day the battle was very severe,
and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

Abner and some servants Ish-bosheth went to Gibeon.
Joab and some servants of David met them by a pool at Gibeon.

They sat down.
One group on one side.
The other group on the other side.

Abner suggested to Joab a “contest”…a “sport”.
Let the young men fight.

Twelve arose for Benjamin…sons of Saul.
Twelve arose for the servants of David.

All 24 seized each other by the head, thrusted their swords into each other.
All died in the same manner.

Apparently a battle precipitated from the death of the contestants.
The servants of David defeated the servants of Abner and the men of Israel.

A foretaste of that to come…

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